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Players/Hjalmik Gunderson
Class Artificer, Alchemist Background Hjalmik Gunderson has always been an eclectic man: whatever the norm was, he was focusing on something different. Growing up in his family’s large farming estate in Nesmyth, north of Marsember, while all his siblings and peers (not ‘friends’ as such) were doing normal kid things, Hjalmik was staring at the stars, pulling apart clocks or researching famous arcane inventions and inventors, dreaming his name would one day be on that list too. In his late teens, Hjalmik received his calling, a scholarship to study at the University of Suzail. In true Gunderson form, he majored in engineering and minored in medicinal sciences and remained at the top of the cohort in both degrees for some time. Then the Sembian nation attacked. Being a staunch loyalist, he signed up instantly and luckily he was drafted into a special unit headed by one of his former professors, a gnome named Llewellyn D’Smond. The unit was based outside Suzail in the fortified village of Kew. They were tasked with creating never before seen tactics and tools in warfare. Hjalmik performed strongly, and took the lead on several projects. This was much to the irritation of a competitive fellow R&D member, Harro Le D’Gween, who harboured resentment and jealousy of Hjalmik ’s success. Hjalmik soon began working as a field tester, getting sent into battle to test inventions. He also spent a lot of time in the field as a medic. He fought alongside a War Wizard named Kal, who bought him time to save many lives. He felt like an actual soldier under the battlefield advice, protection and kind words of a soldier named Ja’mie. He stood in awe of the dauntless warrior Gronn who courageously ‘had no time for healing’, among many others. These chance encounters (with now lifelong friends) inspired his interest in continuing field ops. Close to the end of the war, Hjalmik was posted along the Dragonmere, when he was sent several prototypes of a new device for field testing. He recognised these as The Thundermonger, an arcane smokepowder weapon that he had helped Llewellyn develop. After successful testing (albeit in a fairly quiet area of the war at that time), it was stamped for approval to go into wider production. One of the most climactic moments of the war saw these prototype Thundermongers used to devastating effect against a Sembian advance. A surprise push on the front where Hjalmik and his comrades were stationed was repelled, narrowly, and in many ways turned the fate of the war. All the prototypes were unfortunately lost, but the day was won. When Hjalmik returned to Kew, he found that Llewellyn had disappeared, Harro had taken over, and all the schemata and reports on the Thundermongers was gone. With the war over, Hjalmik could not stand to be in the same building as Harro. He reigned his commission and started a guild with other veterans. He now hopes to track down wondrous items, and discredit Harro if given the chance.